Upside Down
by zendog
Summary: Blackmail, threats, arrogant young men and over protective Mothers. Shawn was really not going to enjoy this case; but Gus was being a pain and insisting on paying bills so the psychic agreed to investigate. Probably not the wisest decision he ever made.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N So it has been a while since I posted anything - usual reasons - life and a massive case of writers block. I have been really struggling with the sequel to my last Merlin story and for a while gave up writing and concentrated on beta reading. I love Psych but have never written for it so I thought it might actually be fun to do...and that perhaps it would help with my block. This is the first time I have written for this fandom...and actually the first time I have written for an American show and one set in the 21st Century so this is quite out there for me. So please be gentle!**

 **I really hope that you enjoy this story; I have to say I did really enjoy writing it so if nothing else I think it has helped me get my mojo back!**

 **Usual disclaimer...I own nothing and no-one to do with Psych.**

Chapter 1

"Nah, that just doesn't seem right" Shawn thought to himself as he looked at the scene around him. Not exactly sure what it was that was wrong he forced himself to open his both his eyes (why that such a difficult task was a question he decided to shelve for later) and have another look. It was just the office; with desks, lots of empty pineapple smoothie cups and the T.V. So what was it that was so "off" about it?

Okay, so perhaps the room should not be moving around as much as it seemed to and it definitely should not be going in and out of focus quite so often. But that was not what was bothering him. "Though come to think of it" he mused "that is a bit strange." Just another thing to think about later; when he had solved this first mystery...as long as he could keep his damn eyes open.

"Okay, just stop and think and look; it's what you are good at" Shawn castigated himself; "Ignore the fact that you are tired and see what you can see." He breathed deeply - should it actually hurt that much to breath? He'd never had problems with it before...not important now...what is important is the room. He had to solve it before Gus came; no solving equals no fist bumps...and Shawn did love his fist bumps. Forcing his eyes to re-open he looked around.

Finally it came to him.

"Upside down...it is all upside down. That is so cool..." and indeed (now he made sense of what his eyes had been telling his brain) everything in the room was the wrong way up.

"Fantastic." Thoughts began to fly around his brain at incredible speed "I've finally developed my superpowers; wait 'til Gus hears I can walk on the ceiling...or perhaps it's because gravity has stopped working and we can all float around; how awesome would that be...except my pineapple smoothie would float out of the cup...so not so cool then...where is Gus anyway...didn't we have something to do...something that did not involve turning the world the wrong way up and me being so damn tired...perhaps if I close my eyes for a bit things will go back the way they should be...perhaps Gus will come and tell me what the heck is going on..." His mind rambled away by itself; random thoughts running around his brain. "Wow, thinking is tiring...need to practice more...a nap and I'll be fine..."

As his eyes began to close for the third time in as many minutes one more detail (something just in the periphery of his vision) struck Shawn. There did seem to be an awful lot of some kind of liquid pooling on the floor above him. It was red. Very red; he forced his drooping lids to stay half open and stared at the offending pool.

"What is red and liquidly? Is liquidly even a word? What was I thinking about – oh, the stuff on the floor... Blood, its blood." Shawn looked again at the rapidly increasing mess "Huh, someone must be bleeding pretty badly" he thought as his eyelids gave up the battle and the darkness came "I wonder who is hurt?"

XXX

He opened his eyes once more a few minutes later. And God would he have given anything to be able to shut them again but for some reason his traitorous body just seemed to want to keep him awake and aware. Things had changed; he was no longer alone in the Psych office. He could see two pairs of legs, one wearing jeans and the other a very nasty pair of sweat pants. And they were both standing upside down really close to him. It did not feel good. For some reason he could not put a finger on he just knew they were not there to make friends; and sadly he was right in this instinct.

"Okay, we've moved the van and now we just need to move him." The smarter legged one said.

"I don't get it, why don't we just kill him here? It wouldn't take much." Dirty sweat pants guy was speaking now and he sounded annoyed and somewhat sulky.

"Because we've been told not to, okay? Let's just get him in the back of the van and get out of here quickly. Before whoever he was on the phone to actually turns up. I'll grab him, you right the place a bit, move the desk to cover the blood. We might get more time to get away if we make it look like nothing has happened."

Some hands reached down. Or should that be up? Really, Shawn was beginning to find all this upside down stuff a bit complicated. Either way the first guy had grabbed hold of him and dragged him up...ah, he thought as the World suddenly righted itself. Shawn looked back down at the desk that he must have somehow half fallen over; his body hanging down one side; his position explaining his mixed up view of the World.

"It was me who was upside down," he managed to think "not the office."

For a moment he was disappointed – it would have been cool to be able to walk up walls like Spidey. But then the pain hit and he caught sight of his blood covered shirt and all other thoughts left his mind. Except for the one that came to him as he was being unceremoniously bundled out of the office and callously dumped into the back of a van.

"Ok, so now I know who was hurt. Me. Damn."

With that realisation his body finally gave up and took pity on him and he slid quietly away.

XXX

Gus was fuming. No, cancel that – he was way past fuming and onto incandescent with rage. Once again he had been dragged away from his proper job; responding to a call from Shawn asking, no demanding, that he get to Psych's office. Shawn's voice continued to whine in his head...

"As fast as a speeding zebra...are they fast?...if not then as fast as a speeding zebra on speed...either way Gus just get here." Then there had been a 30 second pause before Gus heard the cryptic ending of the message "Fuzzy edges man, fuzzy edges... Life or death pal; life or death."

And, like some kind of world class fool, he had come. Admittedly he had made a stop on the way to grab some food and he may have delayed a little; flirting with the brunette who worked at the diner. But he was not at Shawn's beck and call all the time and sometimes the egomaniac needed to be reminded of that.

And as it was Gus was glad he had not rushed. Because what had he found when he got there?

A big, fat, idiotic, gullible nothing.

No motorcycle; no Shawn; no life or death struggle involving big, dumb, muscle bound guys or smart, gun wielding psychopaths. Just the door left unlocked and a pile of unopened mail on the mat.

Sighing Gus leant down, picked up the post and walked slowly into the main office; shoulders hunched and tense; unable to really believe he had fallen for Shawn's irresponsible behaviour yet again. Given the years they had known each other you would think he would have learned how to resist; but no.

"Every damn time Shawn; every damn time." Gus muttered to himself as he made towards the desk. Perching on the edge he cast a cursory glance at the handful of letters he was still holding – bills mostly. "Probably for glass blowing lessons or rhinoceros rides at the zoo. God forbid we should spend what little money we've got on unimportant things like electricity or rent." Still, he relented, that weekend 80's film festival they had just gone on was awesome. And with a little creativity, might even be tax deductable as research.

Pondering that possibility Gus stood up to go and make a coffee whilst he waited for Shawn and in doing so he dropped the mail. Cursing under his breath he bent down to pick it up. One envelope had slid under the desk so, with a disgruntled sigh, he got onto his hands and knees and crawled under it. He nearly gagged at the mess under Shawn's desk. God, this was going to get his new cream khakis filthy. Grabbing the offending letter, and some other pieces of paper he vaguely recognised, Gus backed out again and stood up.

Aware of how long it had been since the offices had been cleaned – if indeed they ever had been - Gus was not looking forward to seeing what state his very expensive new pants were going to be in. As he put the letter and papers safely down on the desk he used his other hand to begin to wipe off any dust or left over breakfast burrito that had no doubt adhered itself to his pants.

"If I've got my pants dirty then you are paying for the dry cleaning Sha...what the heck?" As his hand brushed against the fabric he suddenly felt something wet, sticky and revolting. "What in the hell...this better not be something gross Shawn or I am going to rip..."

Red. Sticky red liquid. His hand was covered in a sticky red liquid. For a moment Gus's mind refused to accept what he knew this to be but as he slowly looked down at the crimson stain that spread across the knees of his pants he could not avoid it any longer. He knew full well what was even now covering his hand. Blood.

Vomit rose into his throat and he began to gag, but he knew he needed to see more. On the count of three he pushed the desk aside and finally got a clear look at what it had been hiding. Underneath it was a pool of blood. His mind registered the fact there was an awful lot of it. Gus shuddered as he remembered that Shawn had called him to come urgently. His friend was not here. But this pool of blood was. Brief sentences ran through his mind. "Shawn, no...blood, yes". He did not like the way this was heading. As Gus reached for his cell phone Shawn's message ran once more through his head.

"Life and death pal; life and death."

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

" **What?" Lassiter yelled down the phone, intensely annoyed by the interruption. He had been in the middle of his latest report, trying to explain precisely how Spencer had worked out who the felon was before he, the Head Detective, had. He was NOT in a good mood.**

 **A panicky voice was screeching on the other end of the line and Lassiter had to hold the receiver well away from his ear. He was unable to understand what was being said through the near hysterical shouts but, despite the shrill nature of the call, he did know who was calling him.**

 **Guster. And if he was calling that meant the other one (and at this point Lassiter actually shuddered at the thought of the psychic) was not far away. God, this day was just getting better and better by the minute!**

 **Lassiter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. "Just one day" he thought "dear God, just one day when these prize idiots don't invade my life. It's not much to ask, is it?" And for a moment he contemplated just hanging up. He was so not in the space to deal with the gruesome twosome. But then he managed to catch something intelligible emerging from the insane babbling coming from the phone. And what he heard made him freeze.**

" **Something's wrong; there's blood all over the place. It looks like a scene from Reservoir Dogs here." Gus paused for a moment, as if realising he needed to calm down and get his message across. "Seriously. Something bad has happened. You have got to come over."**

 **XXX**

 **O'Hara stood behind Gus and watched as the crime scene personnel finished up their preliminary examination. Even now samples of the blood were on their way to the lab to see if it was Shawn's. But she knew somehow that it was his. She shivered slightly at the thought. Shawn's blood, lots of it, now dried and flaking on the floor of his office. Part of her wanted to panic just a little; but she was a police officer first and foremost, so she managed to hold it together. Vital really, considering how badly Guster seemed to be taking things. No way she could go to pieces as well; despite it being Shawn. Shawn missing, possibly badly hurt; maybe even...No. No way was she letting her mind go down that particular route. He was alive; no doubt about it. They would find him.**

" **I need you to tell me what you and Shawn were working on. Everything you can remember." Juliet moved forward and knelt in front of Gus. His eyes were red and a little swollen and Juliet knew he had been crying. But all the tears had dried up and he was now almost catatonic. He had said nothing when she and Lassiter had first arrived; had just pointed at the blood on the floor and then sat unmoving on the edge of the desk as all the usual crime scene business carried on around him. Lassiter had tried to speak to him but it had not gone well.**

 **Juliet winced slightly at the memory of the Head Detective getting right up in Gus's face and yelling that if "he did not pull himself together Spencer would probably die" and that if he did not start telling them just what in the Sam Hill had happened then he, Lassiter, would damn well shoot Gus himself. At that point O'Hara had managed to intervene, get Lassiter to leave to call the Chief and had since then been sitting quietly with Gus.**

 **But time was passing and she really needed him to step up to the mark and tell her what was going on. The cops had been on scene over 30 minutes now and still had no clues as to what Shawn had been doing and who might be responsible for his disappearance.**

" **Gus; please. We need your help. Shawn needs it."**

 **For a moment she thought she too had failed to reach the very shocked and withdrawn man sitting in front of her but then he looked up and for the first time seemed to realise she was there.**

" **Juliet. All that blood, way too much. If it's his he is in serious trouble. He said it was life or death but I was angry with him so I didn't rush. I even stopped to get a snack. What if he...what if I could have got here...Shit." Gus swung his arm around and the lamp crashed off the desk onto the floor and shattered. As if the noise had fully awoken him from his stupor he got to his feet and began to make for the office door. Juliet made to grab him but missed as he ran past her.**

" **I got to do something. I got to look for him."**

 **Lassiter chose that moment to re-enter the room and the two men collided spectacularly. Lassie fell onto his backside and Gus landed right on top of him. For a moment they were perched there, until the Detective growled loudly and tried to push Gus off him.**

" **Get the hell off me you, little, crushing, little, squashing, little... " he began but seemed unable to think of an insult bad enough or quick enough to demonstrate his complete annoyance.**

" **Really? Shawn is missing and hurt and you can't even get it together to come up with a good insult?" shouted Gus "Come on I need your "A" game here Lassister. We have got to find him."**

" **So you finally decided to talk then Guster?" Lassiter replied "Had enough of sitting there doing nothing, hey?"**

 **Gus stood stock still and the stricken look on his face made Lassiter instantly regret his words. The detective knew how close Gus and Spencer were and he also knew how he would feel if it was his partner who was missing. Afterall he thought it's not as if Guster was a cop and was used to seeing these sorts of things. Come to think of it, Lassiter realised, the psychic's sidekick had always had a weak stomach when it came to the grittier side of the job. Hardly surprising he had shut down a little.**

" **Hey, it's okay." He said, willing to give a little but not to apologise, there were limits. "It is not too late; we still have time to find out what happened and to get Spencer back. Sit down and tell us what you know."**

 **XXX**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Two Days Earlier**

" **GUSSSSSSSS...pleasssssse" whined Shawn, pulling his mouth into an exaggerated frown. "You know you loved the film festival so what's wrong with going to another one? Tax deductable you know...come on you know you want to."**

" **Don't."**

" **Do."**

" **Don't."**

" **Do."**

" **Shawn, there is no way on Gods green little planet that I am getting on a plane and flying to Transylvania to sit in a cold field with a thousand European Goths in order to watch a 48 hour Dracula Movie Marathon. Simply not happening...you know that dude creeps me out."**

 **Shawn's pout increased for a moment; only to be replaced by a lop-sided grin as he pounced on Gus's announcement.**

" **So in that case how about a boat trip to Japan for a killer Godzilla fest? I just know you love that feisty lizard and his city destroying ways."**

" **You bet I do...crushing buildings...fighting King Kong...man he is a legend amongst monsters. Well I guess looking up details wouldn't harm." For a second Gus felt himself being dragged yet once more into one of Shawn's crazy schemes; afterall a Godzilla marathon would be sweet.**

 **Reaching over Shawn attempted to go for a fist bump and Gus nearly complied; but then he realised what he had almost agreed to. A trip to Japan when they barely had enough cash flow to cover next month's rent. And by boat! That would take nearly two weeks and they would have to travel to Seattle to even get on a ship...no way. So at the last moment his fist veered to the left and there was no contact made.**

" **Man; an unfulfilled fist bump dude! How could you?" Shawn looked devastated "That's just cruel man, so cruel."**

 **Gus was saved from attempting to reply by a knock on the inner door to the office. He and Shawn both turned at the sound; just in time to see a young man and what was obviously his mother walk hesitantly into the room.**

" **The main door was open so we just..."**

" **Yeah, we like to leave it open so the dust bunnies can escape" Shawn replied with a grin. He glanced across at the boy, expecting some sort of amused response but was met instead with a look of (and there was no other word for it) contempt. The youth allowed his gaze to move up and down the psychic and it made for an uncomfortable experience – Shawn felt as if he was being judged. And that he had failed the examination.**

" **They won't be able to help us Mother." The boy spoke in an accent that could cut glass. "He is clearly an imbecile."**

" **Okay there little Lord Fauntleroy; no need for personal abuse before we've even been introduced." Shawn managed to say, although what he really wanted to do was smack the brat right across the butt. What was he? 17 or 18? "Gus, give the lady a seat."**

 **As he spoke he sauntered over to his desk and perched on the edge; trying (and failing) to give off vibes of intelligence and mystique.**

" **I am Shawn Spencer, renowned and much beloved Head Psychic SBPD and this is my erstwhile partner Lorucia Humbunt." Again he looked at the teenager for a response.**

" **Do you honestly think I would let my Mother drag me here without doing even a modicum of basic research on your "little" agency?" the supercilious teen replied "I know full well his name is Burton Guster and from all accounts he is the only one here with any common sense. Afterall he does have a very good portfolio on the stock market."**

 **Gus smiled at Shawn's "humph" of indignation; thinking that despite first impressions there might actually be something to be said for the boy.**

" **So why don't you tell me what we can do to help?" Gus asked the boy's Mother, helping her to a seat; whilst ignoring the strangled looks of annoyance and irritation that Shawn was shooting his way. "We here at Psych are always prepared to help a damsel and child in distress."**

 **XXX**

 **Back To The Present**

 **The noise of the CSU packing up their equipment and leaving the room distracted Gus from his retelling of the events two days ago. He and the two detectives watched as the office emptied and they were left alone, only surrounded by the drying blood and the fingerprint dust. Gus shivered. Whilst telling Juliet and Lassiter about the case they had taken only a brief time ago he had been able to forget about the situation at hand but now in the silence the full horror of it hit him.**

 **Shawn had called him; had asked him to come quickly and he had delayed. It didn't occur to him that most people who knew Shawn probably would not have even bothered to turn up at all, so used were they to his eccentric and outlandish shenanigans and his annoying tendency to exaggerate and dramatise everything. No, what mattered was that he had eaten and flirted whilst his friend needed him and Gus was having a hard time forgiving himself for that.**

" **It's okay Gus"**

 **A hand reached across and placed itself onto his arm, gently trying to reassure him. He looked up at Juliet and he could see that she understood what he was feeling. Her face was stricken, showing the strain that she was under. Gus knew that her relationship with Shawn went well beyond that of colleagues, or even friends – that there was something there between them that neither of them were able to articulate. She was just as worried about Shawn as he was. Hell, even Lassiter's face looked a little concerned. Okay, thought Gus, Shawn's histrionics drove the lanky detective wild, but when it came down to it, Lassiter did care if he was hurt; or worse.**

 **Shaking his head and trying to dispel awful images of Shawn writhing on the floor in pain or even worse lying unmoving in his own blood, Gus continued.**

" **Turns out that someone had been threatening the boy – oh, his name is Sebastian Swithen and his Mother is Ursula Swithen. Apparently he had been receiving abusive letters. They first ones basically amounted to the same thing – promises to kidnap him unless they got some cash. Then the last two turned really nasty. They threatened to kill him unless the writer was paid a stupid amount of money. Shawn was still sulking so I asked a few questions, if they had any enemies or knew of any reason why anyone would want to hurt him; you know the usual stuff. And she said she had no idea but that for the last day or so she was sure the kid had been followed. The boy didn't say a word. And Shawn was just his normal self."**

 **At this point he broke off, a small sad smile appearing on his face as he remembered Shawn standing behind the boy and mouthing words that seemed to imply that he understood quite well how anyone could find the young man irritating enough to want to kill.**

" **Anyway, it was late so I asked them to come back tomorrow and to bring the letters and told them that we would take the case." Gus looked up at Juliet "Shawn was not overly impressed but..."**

 **Juliet nodded, she knew that being partners with Shawn could be a frustrating but amazing thing, and that occasionally Gus (though not averse to the odd shenanigans himself) had to play the realist; if only to keep the business actually afloat.**

" **So what happened the next day Guster?" Lassiter's voice was full of interest despite himself. "How do you think this case wound up with Spencer getting himself into such a pile of crap?"**

 **XXX**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

 **Two Days Ago.**

" **Shawn, we are taking the case, end of story. So stop being such a baby about it."**

" **YOU stop being a baby; a money grabbing, psychic-bullying baby Gus." Shawn whined from behind his desk "That little brat deserves all he's getting; telling me I am a "monocled playbarn". The nerve..."**

" **It was "monosyllabic plebeian "Shawn and personally I found him to be quite a good judge of character." Gus answered with a supercilious smile on his face.**

" **That's only 'cos he agreed with your reading of the supermarkets; I mean what has Wal-Mart got to do with anything..."**

" **Not supermarkets Shawn, THE market...and no you have not heard it both ways."**

 **Shawn huffed and swivelled round in his chair, frustrated. He knew Gus was right; they needed to take the case but that kid had really got on his nerves. He hated it when reality came to call, but even he knew that their financial status was precarious to say the least. And this was the only case that they had come within spitting distance of for weeks. Sighing, he turned round and faced his friend.**

" **Okay, but if that kid makes one more remark about my level of intelligence or how awful the eighties were again I will not answer for my actions."**

" **It's a deal...I will call his Mom and confirm we are going to take it and fix a meeting for tomorrow." Gus picked up the phone "You never know this could be interesting." He said hopefully as he dialled the number.**

 **"Yeah, guess it shouldn't take too long." Shawn said with a resigned smirk "Afterall it is probably just some of his fellow students messing with him. Or even his professors, 'cos man that kid is seriously aggravating! Hey, maybe we can stretch it out a bit and get enough cash for the Japan trip, hey tomodachi? Suddenly Shawn brightened up with the prospect of the film trip to end all film trips. Maybe this case would not be so bad after all.**

 **XXX**

 **One Day Ago**

 **Shawn watched uncertainly as the woman cried loudly into a fine linen handkerchief; he was no good around distraught women. Never knew whether to comfort, hug or leave. Surely, he thought, her son should be the one to help her. In hope of getting out of the situation Shawn glanced over to Sebastian. What he saw made him freeze. The young man was glaring at his weeping mother, a look of complete annoyance and disregard on his face; no compassion and no love. Shawn's opinion of the lad fell even further; how could a son behave in such a manner towards his mother? Before he knew what he was doing Shawn moved over to the well dressed, but incredibly upset woman, and put his arms around her. She stiffened, as if not used to being comforted by another human being; stopped breathing for a second and then turned and thrust her head into Shawn's shoulder with such force that he nearly toppled over.**

" **Oh, Mr Spencer, I don't know what to do" she sobbed. Shawn shuddered and tried really hard to ignore the trail of obnoxious slime she was getting all over his favourite shirt "If they go through with it and hurt my boy I would not be able to carry on. He is my sole reason for living."**

" **Really Mother, do you have to be so melodramatic all the time. Honestly it is like living in a soap opera." The teenager shot her a look of intense dislike and then went back to staring at the walls of the office; as if nothing being discussed in the room had any connection to him.**

 **Shawn glanced over to Gus, a mute appeal for help written in his eyes...and Gus revelled in the chanced to let his friend suffer! Instead of stepping in he merely smiled calmly back and pretended not to notice Shawn's uncomfortable squirming and constant wide eyed appeals. No, Gus decided, it was payback time for all the occasions Shawn had made him endure one embarrassing scene after another. He would sit back and watch. And he was going to enjoy every second of it.**

 **Sensing that he was not going to be rescued and silently promising that Burton Guster would rue the day; Shawn tried again to placate her.**

" **Come on Mrs Swithen, you have now secured the services of the Shawn Spencer, psychic extraordinaire...no-one will hurt your delightful son" Shawn decided to ignore the sarcastic grunt from said progeny "I will sniff out and divine where the threat is coming from quicker than an episode of the Mentalist."**

 **She gave another sob and once more grabbed his midriff, wailing unintelligible things into his shirt and for a brief moment Shawn had some sympathy with the boy, Sebastian. This woman really did know how to milk a moment. He didn't know if he could stand this for any longer and all thoughts of extending their employment went out of the window; nothing (not even the mighty Godzilla) was worth all this. Shawn extricated himself from Mrs Swithen's grasp and, in as "mystic" a fashion as possible he spoke.**

" **Give me the offending letters" he said, closing his eyes and holding out his hand.**

 **Mrs Swithen reached her carefully manicured hand into her expensive bag and pulled out a bundle of paper. As she did she sniffed and spoke in a distressed voice.**

" **Here they are; one a day for the last week. They demand money or they say they will kidnap and kill Sebastian. I am sure they are following him. I wanted to go to the police but Sebastian; well he does not think they are serious" She shot a look at her bored looking son "I promised not to go to the Police as long as he agreed to seek your help. It took some persuading but finally he concurred. You must help us Mr Spencer. Sebastian is everything to me since his Father died. Nothing can happen to him."**

 **As he felt the paper touch his palm Shawn raised his thumb and forefinger to the side of his head and gave a loud series of staccato moans and began to sway dramatically.**

" **The words are speaking to me" Shawn incanted "They are desperate to spill their secrets but they are scared; terrified of what will happen if they betray their writer. Oh, be brave my little inklets...share with me. Share with me**

 **Peering through his eye lashes Shawn was delighted to see that his impromptu performance had actually startled Sebastian. The normally impassive young man had almost jumped and for a moment something crossed his face; an emotion that Shawn recognised. It was only there for a fraction of a second but Shawn knew what he had seen. It was guilt. Shawn stared at the young man confused as to what he had seen but then the reason for his guilt seemed to be explained as Sebastian reached out and laid a hand on his Mother's shoulder as if to comfort her. "Ah" Shawn thought, "That's unexpected but better. Perhaps he does care for her afterall."**

 **But something still nagged at him, at the very edge of his mind.**

 **XXX**

 **After the Sebastian and his Mother had left, with Shawn's breezy assurances of a quick resolution to the case, Shawn found himself sitting behind the desk, a closed laptop in front of him.**

" **Come on Gus, help me out here!" Shawn whined "You know you are better on the computer than me. We need to check these two out a little more."**

" **No Shawn. Not happening. I got my real job to go to and you are not stopping me. I am already way behind on my rounds this week, thanks to that side trip to the Pottery Barn to see if they keep any real cows there."**

 **Shawn tried his abandoned puppy dog look but it was to no avail. Gus had stopped falling for that years ago. Gus was not going to be beaten; he was leaving. Sighing, Shawn gave up. He knew full well that he could research the family as well as Gus but he just didn't want to. It was boring...and he hated being alone. But needs must and he slowly opened up his lap top as the office door closed; Gus leaving without a backward glance.**

 **Shawn began to type the kid's name into Google but stopped after only three letters...would it really hurt to do a little side research on the festival in Japan first? Just to get his computer skills warmed up? So he typed in Godzilla and Japan and began to search...**

 **Four hours later he awoke, face pressed down on the keyboard and a half eaten tortilla in his hand. It was dark outside. He realised he had fallen asleep whilst searching for proof that Bigfoot had really been the one to steal the food from a picnic he and Gus had gone on when they were ten. Gus always said it was older kids who they'd seen earlier in the hike but Shawn was sure old Biggie was to blame.**

 **Standing up and shaking his arms out Shawn yawned, ready to sleep but his eyes were caught by the flickering of the computer screen and he sighed. No escaping it really, he needed to at least do some basic work or Gus would be unbearable when he came in the office.**

 **Sitting down again Shawn searched for the Swithens. And boy was there a lot to read. Turns out Mrs Swithen has been some low rent singer/actress, trying to get a break into show business when she had met and married the much older, late lamented Mr Richard Swithen. He had been an investment banker and by all accounts super rich – mega rich – ultra mega rich... He had died about a year ago in a car accident. The reports said that it was sheer luck that the son, Sebastian, had not died alongside him. By some freak chance the teenager had escaped with relatively minor injuries whilst his Father had died instantly.**

 **Checking out Richard Swithen's will on line Shawn discovered that 95% of his wealth had been left to his son, the remaining 5% to his widow. Well, that certainly explained why the kid had been targeted Shawn thought as he made to close down the computer. But just as his finger was hovering over the off switch two words in the later part of the will jumped out at him. Trust Fund.**

 **Shawn grabbed the laptop and sat on the edge of the desk as he read the will more fully. It seemed that Daddy Dear had decided that young Sebastian would not be allowed to inherit any cash until he was 30 years old. Until then his Mother would have control over all his money (thought the terms of the fund forbade her to spend any of it on herself). Sebastian would have to go cap in hand to her for everything for the next twelve years. Something Shawn just knew the young man would have hated and resented.**

 **All at once the look of guilt in Sebastian's eyes made sense.**

" **Oh, this is sooooooooooooooooooooooo good" Shawn muttered to himself as he shut the lid of the computer and did a little victory dance. "I get to solve the case and put that annoying, supercilious, patronising little bugger in his place."**

 **Reaching for his cell he called Gus and filled him in on the discoveries.**

" **That's great Shawn, so what now?" Gus asked.**

" **I am going to call young Master Sebastian, arrange a meet at the office in the morning and get him to confess." Shawn replied, a big grin covering his face."You bring the coffees and surprise munchies okay Gus?"**

" **No way Shawn, I have got to go into work, big staff meeting with the head boss. No way I can miss it; just make the meeting later okay. Say after 12." Gus replied.**

" **Ah, Gus, come on. I want to get it done and dusted by 11.30, wrestling's on at 12. Just get here, I know you want to. Blow the meeting out, go on." Shawn's voice was silky as he tried to charm Gus into doing what he wanted; but to no avail.**

" **No Shawn, this job is important to me and you can wait. We can watch the wrestling on catch-up but I can't afford to piss off my boss. I will see you at 12 tomorrow." With that Gus hung up, secure in the knowledge that Shawn would no way make an early appointment – he loved his bed too much for that.**

 **But for once Shawn wanted something much more than he wanted a lie in...he wanted to show Sebastian that he wasn't clever enough to fool him. Shawn cradled his phone in his hand as he dialled again and arranged a meeting for 10 a.m. the next day. He told Sebastian he just needed a few more details and to come alone as the meetings seemed to upset his Mother so much. The youth stated he did not much care if his Mother cried but that if Shawn was "too sensitive" to cope with a few tears then yes, he would come alone.**

 **Putting his phone back in his pocket and then lying down on the couch, clutching a cushion to him, Shawn smiled at how much fun he was going to have tomorrow when he confronted Sebastian with the truth – that the boy had written the letters himself in order to get hold of at least some of his money.**

 **XXX**

 **A/N**

 **Tomodachi – Japanese for friend.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **The Present**

 **If it had hurt to breath before Spencer now looked back on that time as a haven of pain free existence; because currently it hurt to only contemplate breathing; or moving; or even thinking. Hands and legs tied; he was being thrown around the back of the van as it bounced and swerved over an uneven road surface. Each roll, jolt and slam of his body against the side or floor of the vehicle sent waves of pain through his body; the agony seeming to keep unconsciousness at bay. Things, he thought, were not going well.**

 **And for the life of him he could not think of why he had ended up here. Nor how he was going to get away.**

 **The van suddenly stopped moving and the engine went quiet. Relishing the stillness it took Shawn a few moments before the real implications of this fact settled in his brain. If the van had stopped that meant they had got to wherever the hell it was that they were going. And, in turn, that meant he was about to find out what it was they had in store for him.**

 **Shawn did not need to be a real psychic to realise that whatever it was it would not be good.**

 **Pushing himself painfully with his bound feet he slowly moved as far into the back of the van as he could; trying to at least put some distance between himself and the two men he suspected were even now walking towards the rear doors. Breathing heavily Shawn tried to use the side of the vehicle to help him to stand but it was impossible. The pain in his stomach was all encompassing. He could barely move, let alone get up. Shawn would have to face them sitting down.**

 **Struggling to keep his eyes open in the gloom of the van he could hear their footsteps and then suddenly his temporary prison was filled with light as the back doors were flung open and the sun streamed in, blinding him. He reached up to cover his eyes but was unable to do so because of the rope and instead he was left with only being able to screw them closed. He felt exposed and terrified without his sight as he heard, and felt, the men jump into the vehicle and move closer.**

 **Two pairs of hands grabbed his upper arms and pulled. Pain exploded in his midriff and spread throughout his body. It cascaded through him with colour and speed; taking him down as it went. Removing his ability to think or even feel – that is feel anything except agony and the renewed flow of his blood once more streaming from the hole in his side. His body went limp and his mind finally closed down; giving him the protection of unconsciousness that it had so long denied him.**

 **XXX**

 **Cold. Wet. Cold and wet.**

 **Shawn came back with a start as the icy water was poured over his head. This was no gentle return to a wakeful state. This was brutal and effective. Someone wanted him conscious and they were not willing to wait. But Shawn was damned if he was going to do what they wanted so he remained bent over, slumped in the chair he just realised he was tied to. No way was he going to open his eyes and let them see that they had won. Well, not yet...any more water though and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep up the pretence.**

" **He's still out. Let's come back. Give him time to freeze. Boss said it didn't matter how hurt he was so long as we didn't kill him yet." Shawn inwardly shuddered at these words...they did not promise him a very bright future.**

 **He kept his head down until he heard the slam of a door and then very slowly he raised it up. Shooting pains passed across his head and his vision was blurred but he managed to sit up and carefully survey where he was being held. It was a large, cold, empty warehouse that just screamed horror. It was the stuff of any number of hideous torture scenes from his beloved films. Great on screen but, he had to admit, not so good in real life. Shawn had no trouble admitting to himself that he was scared; no cancel that; he was terrified.**

 **The cold seeped through his bones and he shivered. He was frozen but there was an upside; it had numbed his pain. He could feel nothing from the wound. Someone had fashioned a crappy little bandage over the gash and he could see no new blood oozing out from under it. That had to be a good thing right? He searched his mind for any useful information regarding people who had stomach wounds but all he could think of was the sentence "gut shot"; which never boded well for any character in a film he had ever seen.**

 **He tried to look behind him to see if there was an alternative way out but the ropes and the numbness restricted his movements. For a moment he despaired; he had no idea what had happened or why he was tied up and wounded in some godforsaken warehouse. Every time he tried to remember how he had ended up here the pain in his head grew and everything seemed hazy and he drew a blank. That in itself was bad enough, Shawn had always prized his ability to remember things, but the worst thing was that no memory meant he had no idea if anyone was coming to look for him.**

 **What if Gus or his Dad just thought he had gone off on one of his little excursions? Or if he had expected to be gone a while so they would not worry? Shawn gulped down the growing sense of panic. He just had to trust that someone would sense something was wrong. He had to have hope. But in the meantime he needed to figure out a way to survive the next few hours.**

 **His usual method of trying to "psych" his way out of trouble was no use to him here; the goons had yet to return and he got the distinct impression that they would not be taken in by his act. Too dumb to be awed.**

 **But another look around the filthy cavernous room just confirmed what he had first thought. There was no way, even if he was at full strength, that he would get out of here. Trying to ignore the cold and the returning pain Shawn pulled himself tighter around his wound, doing all he could to protect himself. All he could do was wait – either for rescue or...he really did not want to think about the alternative.**

 **A wave of fear and tiredness washed over him as his injury began to throb in time with his heart. Feeling alone he spoke aloud into the empty room. "Gus, Gus. Come on man." Even to himself his voice sounded harsh and tortured "Come find me man, I need your help."**

 **But the plea was in vain, for just as the words left his mouth he heard a loud metallic clang and the doors to the warehouse opened. The two guys from earlier lumbered in and walked towards him. Shawn tried to not look scared but he was not all that sure he had pulled it off. Afterall he was scared and he was not afraid to admit it. Pain was not something he enjoyed and he knew the arrival of Sweat pants and his mate did not bode well for his future.**

 **He waited for them to begin but they just stood there, watching him. It was frankly very unnerving and Shawn tried to come up with some quip or wiseass comment for them. Shawn always found using his words a very comforting experience, he had hidden behind his verbal dexterity for most of his life. It was his first, and usually, last line of defence. But for once in his life his mind and his mouth turned traitor and he remained silent.**

 **And into that silence walked a figure. Slowly it moved towards him, obscured from full view by the bright light shining in through the still open doors. Straining his eyes Shawn desperately tried to see who it was that was approaching him. He knew without doubt that this was the person who had caused all this to happen to him. If he could just figure out who they were perhaps he would...**

 **Then he saw. He knew who it was and, almost as if a switch had been turned in his brain, he began to remember. He knew why he was here and he also knew (with undoubted certainty) that he was in deep trouble.**

 **He closed his eyes and he heard the footsteps get closer and stop right in front of him; then felt a hand touch his face and then that voice saying.**

" **Hello Mr. Spencer. Thank you for coming."**

 **Deep, deep trouble.**

 **XXX**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N The time line in this story is a little bit complicated so please do check at the beginning of each chapter where it tells you when the action is taking place.

Thanks for the reads, follows and the reviews.

Chapter 6

 **This** Morning - 10.18 a.m.

"Oh, Sebastian...the spirits of the ink do not lie...they are trying to tell me something. Oh what is it they are saying..."bust stunned...lust shunned...?"

At this point Shawn opened his eyes a little and inwardly smiled at the slightly worried expression on the youth's face. Shawn knew Sebastian understood where this was heading, ever since the boy had entered the Psych office fifteen minutes ago. Shawn had immediately gone in to full "psychic" mode and had danced around the office, sniffing and licking the threatening letters for a good ten minutes before beginning to speak in a high pitched sing song voice. Oh boy, he was SO going to enjoy this.

Closing his eyes again Shawn went for broke "...rust sunned...no, it's TRUST FUND"

His voice ending on a triumphant note Shawn gave a quick gasp and opened his eyes; slumping forward as if exhausted. A moment's stillness then he straightened himself to his full (okay, not very impressive) height and pointed at the stunned youth.

"It was you wasn't it Sebastian? You who wrote those threatening letters that so broke your mother's heart. Oh, the treachery of youth, the ink cries out at your cruelty"

Shawn knew he was giving a brilliant performance and some part of him regretted that his only audience was the irritating teenager. Perhaps he should have waited to meet until Gus could have joined them. But he also knew that he would not feel any regret over the early meeting when he was sitting in his chair, downing a pineapple shaved ice and enjoying the wrestling. Besides, Gus was not that good of an audience anyway. No, it was better this way. Get a confession, ship the boy off to the police, annoy Lassie and still be in time for the first bout. Perfect.

Realising he has been silent for about 30 seconds Shawn quickly brought his attention back to Sebastian. And one look was all it took for him to realise he would have no further problems with the youth. The teenager seemed to have shrunk; he had slumped onto the chair behind him and was resting his head in his hands. All semblance of a cool, collected, supercilious young man was gone. He suddenly looked a lot younger than his 18 years.

"It just wasn't fair" the cry of all disgruntled teens the World over "She would not let me have anything. Dad's will meant I would not get out from under her until I was 30. 30! Impossible. She's always treated me as a child and not let me do anything. You've seen her Mr Spencer, gushing, over-protective, coddling. I just could not stand it anymore. I thought if I could just get some of the money out of her then I could leave. Go to Europe, Asia, well anywhere so long as I was free of her. But now I guess I am just going to jail right?"

Sebastian sadly shook his head and for a moment Shawn felt a tinge of sympathy for him...having an over bearing parent was a cross they both bore...but no. His Mother's actions did not excuse the youth's behaviour but perhaps she might not want to involve the police when she knew who was really behind the threats. Shawn decided to try and give the boy some hope.

"You never know Sebastian; your Mother loves you. There is always a chance she will want to keep this out of the police's hands. Maybe Gus and I can have a word; afterall no harm was really done."

As he spoke Shawn picked up the phone from its resting place under three magazines and an empty pizza box and began to dial Gus's number. He wanted to show off a little now the case was solved.

"Cos when it comes down to it all you did was write seven letters and make your Mom cry...perhaps she will just ground you for the next twelve years or so."

Shawn could hear Gus's answer phone message click in and he began speaking

"Hey man you need to get here now. As fast as a speeding zebra...are they fast?...if not then as fast as a speeding zebra on speed...either way Gus just get here."

But as he was speaking two things happened. First he could hear Sebastian speaking in the background and what he said made no sense. Shawn stopped talking for a moment as the youth's words permeated fully into his thought process.

"But I only wrote five letters not seven."

And at the same time something caught his eye about the letters he was holding. Two of them were clearly printed but the other five were more blurred around the edges of the letters. And in that instant he knew he had missed something; something vital to the case. In a sort of daze he whispered the next few words down the phone to Gus.

"Fuzzy edges man, fuzzy edges... Life or death pal; life or death."

XXX

The Present

Juliet and Lassiter stared at Gus as he told them of his belief that Shawn had actually met up with Sebastian earlier that day and of his phone message. Though they did not know all that has transpired during that meeting it was pretty certain that Shawn's disappearance related directly to it. Gus was shaking his head, feeling awful over the fact that it had taken him so long to recount the story. But at least now they all realised they had a place to start.

"We find that boy and we may be closer to finding Spencer" Lassiter growled. "How stupid was he to meet alone with no back up."

"I should have been there" Gus whispered "What am I going to tell his Dad when he gets back."

The two detectives glanced surreptitiously at each other; both secretly relieved that Spencer Senior was out deep sea fishing and that it was the Chief's job to try and reach him. It would be at least 24 hours before he would be able to return and they fervently hoped that they would have found Shawn before then.

"I should not have gone to work." Gus continued "It is all my fault."

"No Guster, it is Spencer's fault." Lassiter yelled, oblivious to the horrified expression on both Gus's and his partner's faces. "He always flies close to the wind and I guess it has finally caught up to him. All his idiotic playing around..."

"Carlton!" Juliet's unusually sharp voice stopped him in his tracks. "Now is not the time." The detective nodded her head towards Gus who was looking upset again, unable to believe that Lassiter could say such things whilst it was possible that Shawn was de...no Gus could not even think the word.

Lassiter took a deep breath. Even he was shocked at what he had just said. "Sorry Guster. Bad timing."

Gus stared at the Head Detective for a long minute and then nodded, accepting the apology.

"What is important now is that we find Sebastian and maybe he can tell us what happened to Shawn. And where we can find him."

XXX

They found Sebastian hiding in the Housekeepers quarters at the family's mansion.

Upon their arrival there with Buzz and one other officer Lassiter had shown his warrant to the Butler who had opened the door. On being told "Madame and the young Sir are not currently at home" the Head Detective had taken one look at the besuited man, huffed loudly and pushed past.

It was Buzz who eventually found the youth; huddled up in the closet. From his great height the tall patrol man pulled the cringing teenager to his feet and dragged him none too gently to the Detectives and Gus. Buzz liked Shawn and he wanted to find him alive so if that meant playing the mean cop to try and scare information out of Sebastian then he was happy to do his part. The fact that he would not hurt a fly was beside the point; the youth did not know that.

Pushed down into the plush leather of the sofa in the drawing room Sebastian looked up at the three grim faced individuals standing before him.

"What is the meaning of this?" He tried to act indignant but his voice waivered and he was unable to make eye contact with any of the people who loomed over him.

"You know what it is about Sebastian." Gus's voice was low and quiet. Lassiter looked over to him, rarely had he heard Guster sound so serious and for the first time ever the Head Detective realised he actually would not like to cross the man.

"Where is Shawn?" Juliet joined in now and she too was as serious as death. "We know you met with him; then he disappeared. You know what happened and you ARE going to tell us. Now."

Sebastian stared at each of them in turn and knew it was all over. And so he told them all he knew of what happened after Shawn had called Gus

XXX


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **This Morning...10.23 a.m.**

Shawn slowly put the phone down as he stared intently at Sebastian. All trace of the uber arrogant youth who had walked into the Psyche office just a few short days ago was gone. Instead the young man looked confused, scared and hopeful all at the same time as he began to blurt out word after word, defending what he did and begging for another chance.

But all Shawn could hear was the sentence "But I only wrote five letters not seven." With those words, and the proof in his hands, he knew he had been partly wrong. He also knew that his hope that things were over was false. Yes, Sebastian had written the first five letters, but someone else had written the other two letters and that person meant business. And with a sinking feeling Shawn realised that there could only be one explanation and one culprit...and that he and the boy were in serious trouble.

"Sebastian, we need to get out of..."

But Shawn did not have the time to finish his sentence before the main door to the Psych office burst open and two ugly looking men burst into the room. One was dressed in dirty sweat pants and a filthy hoodie and the other in jeans and turtle necked sweater but both had the same determined look on their faces.

Moving with a speed that belied his normal lackadaisical attitude Shawn moved to stand in front of the 18 year old boy and yelled over his shoulder at him to –

"Run, dammit. Run."

And without a word the boy did what he was told; he turned and ran for the window. But the latch was broken (Gus had been nagging Shawn for months to get it fixed but as always he had had not really listened). Sebastian struggled to open it. In the meantime the two thugs were getting really close; it all seemed to take place in slow motion. Seconds felt like minutes as Sebastian tried desperately to force the window latch. Shawn realised that the boy needed more time and that the men getting within hitting distance. So he made a choice.

He blinked once and then walked forwards two steps closer to the approaching men and yelled.

"Artichokes. Do you like artichokes?"

The men stopped in mid-stride, perplexed and confused. This was not what they had been expecting and for one or two seconds they were unsure of how to proceed and this gave Sebastian the time he needed. With a cry of relief he pulled open the window and, without a backward glance to see if Shawn was following him, he ran.

The slight cry brought the men back to the present and they both suddenly realised that the younger of their prey was making a break for it and they immediately moved forward as one. Only to be met by Shawn, blocking their way and still talking endlessly about artichokes. They moved left, Shawn moved right to block them. They moved right and he darted left; only the desk separating them. Exasperation made them mad and unable to think. So for a moment it seemed as if Shawn might be able to carry on this little dance forever as the men did not first realise their advantage in numbers. But then the guy in jeans said to his colleague "You go left." And Shawn knew his time was up as the dirty sweat pants guy approached from the left and the jeans guy from the right. It had taken them about a minute but they had finally figured out that with two of them they could corner him and that was precisely what they did.

"Not the brightest banana's in the bunch" Shawn thought as he backed slowly away, his mind desperately seeking a way out. Then his back slammed into the window and his last hope disappeared – Sebastian had slammed it shut as he had run; abandoning Shawn to his fate. Cursing under his breath Shawn turned to face the thugs who were bearing down on him and this time there was a really unpleasant surprise. Sweat pants guy was holding a rather large and quite scary looking knife.

"Guys" Shawn spoke quickly, relying on his words to help him once more. "Seriously, you know you could have just made an appointment. Here at Psych we live to serve. How about we just make one now and you can come back in the morning? I'll even lay on coffee and pancakes. What do you say guys?"

"Where is he going?" Jeans man had walked right up to Shawn and now spoke in his ear; quietly and with a good amount of menace. "Not bright" thought Shawn as he considered his reply "but mean. I may really be in a bit of a situation here."

"Think hard psychic. Where is he?"

For a moment Shawn was tempted. He knew it was likely that Sebastian would run straight home, spoilt little Mummy's boys often did. But he knew that, dislike him though he did, he could not give the kid up. So he squared off and smiled his most winning smile at jeans man and spoke.

"Sorry man, no can do. No idea where the little lord went. Guess you are going to have to earn your bonus and actually go looking for him. Shouldn't be hard, just look in all the slimy holes in the neighbourhood...I am sure you are both well acquainted with them."

Shawn had expected his answer to anger the man but he had not expected the brutality of the response it actually earnt. Jeans guy breathed in once and then said to his partner.

"Your turn to ask."

Sweat pants guy took three steps forward, smiled a yellow toothed grin and punched Shawn in the stomach.

Shawn doubled over but was kept from falling to the ground by jeans guy. Initially he felt as if all the air had been sucked from his body but it did not really hurt; more of an ache but then he found it almost impossible to stand upright. Something was pulling at his stomach, a stretch or a tension. Something he could not understand. Unable to breathe Shawn managed to right himself and look at sweat pants guy. The ugly thug was smiling again and as Shawn watched he raised his hand, bringing what he held into full view.

Shawn blanched as he saw the blood covered knife in the man's hand. A cold feeling spread over him and he slowly and unwillingly looked down at his own stomach. As he watched a red stain began to spread over the left side of his buttoned shirt.

"Oh" was all he could say, unable to believe what he was seeing. His eyes must be playing tricks on him; surely being stabbed should hurt?

Immediately he thought this Shawn wished he had not as the pain hit him full force. There were no words to describe the red hot whoosh that spread throughout his whole body and all he could do was clasp his hands to his stomach and try to curl in on himself. But even such small comfort was to be denied him as the men held him upright and jeans guy got close up to his face.

"I figured you wouldn't like the way he asks questions. So talk to me now and no disrespecting me. If you tell me what I want to know I might even consider phoning 911. If not, well I'll let him loose again. He does like to go for the gut wound. He likes to watch as they die nice and slow. I will ask again. Where is the kid?"

Shawn opened his mouth and honestly this time he was going to tell; he was definitely going to suggest that they look at Sebastian's home. His brain was already to say the words; began to say them but...his mouth just took over

"Man, your psychic karma is all over the place. If you want a reading..." came out instead.

His words were not received well. Both men just began to lay into him, all pretence of asking questions gone. Their anger at his smart ass remarks and their frustration over losing one of the people they had been sent after made the beating personal. First it was just punches, always centred on Shawn's wound and then, once he had been allowed to fall to the floor, there were kicks as well.

After a few seconds it all seemed to merge into one mass center of pain; no beginning and no end. Even if they had asked him questions now he would not have been able to reply; he was just agony itself.

Suddenly though their fury abated and the thugs began to realise that perhaps they had gone too far. Jeans guy stopped first and gestured to his partner to cease the beating. He got out his phone and spoke quietly but urgently. A minutes silence as he received his instructions and then he nodded and said "Yes, at once" and hung up.

"We need to take him to the warehouse. Let's move the van and take him in that. Come on, it will only take a minute to fetch it and he is not going anywhere."

Sweat pants guy picked Shawn up by his shirt and pulled him close.

"You should have answered him." And with that he took one last punch. Shawn's unresisting body flew backwards and landed on the office desk, his head and half his body falling over the side and hanging upside down.

And his blood dripped in time with his heart beat; all over the office floor.

XXX

 **Present Time**

Gus stared at Sebastian as he finished telling them of the events of the morning. Then he took a deep breath and punched the young man right on the nose.

"You just ran off and left him? You even shut the Goddamn window? What kind of low life coward are you?" Gus continued yelling even after Juliet and Lassiter grabbed him by the arms and pulled him away.

Sebastian lay snivelling on the floor, seemingly unable or unwilling to get up. Letting go of Gus, Lassiter stepped forward and offered his hand to the young man. Sebastian grabbed it and allowed himself to be pulled up. When he was almost standing but still unsteady on his feet Lassiter "accidentally" let go of his hand and Sebastian fell with a crash back onto the floor.

"I am so sorry Sir," said Lassiter "My hand just slipped. Terrible how things can let you down when you need them the most."

Gus and Juliet glanced at the Head Detective who turned and walked back to the sofa without even looking their way. Both of them knew that the dropping had been no accident. Despite how he said he felt about Spencer, they understood that Lassiter's actions were his own quiet comment on Sebastian's behaviour towards Shawn. And they were both grateful.

But what now? Their only lead had not panned out and they were totally stuck.

Gus collapsed onto the comfortable chair behind him and wrapped his arms around his stomach; trying to clear his mind and think. Surely something Shawn had said on the phone could help? As he hugged himself Gus heard crinkling and felt something give slightly in his jacket. Opening the zip and reaching into his inside pocket he pulled out the threatening letters that he had inadvertently brought with him from the Psych office. Gus looked at each one and as he did so something pushed at the corner of his mind...something he was seeing as well as something he had heard. But what was it. Normally he relied upon Shawn to make these sort of links but this time it was up to him. His friend had obviously made a connection but now he needed to think like Shawn and to find out what it all meant.

"Fuzzy edges man...fuzzy edges."

Those few words sprang unbidden into Gus's mind and as they did he glanced at the papers he was holding. And he knew. He knew what had happened and most importantly he knew who had Shawn.

XXX


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Present Time

"Well, it was hard to resist the invitation. Your boys were really very insistent." Shawn's voice was strained but he tried to keep as much fear as possible out of it as he spoke. He squinted up at the figure in the doorway and all his suspicions were confirmed. This was the person who had written the other two letters and who had paid the goons to attack him and the youth.

Sebastian's own Mother. Mrs Swithen.

The well dressed and elegantly coiffured woman stepped fully into the filthy warehouse and gave a disgusted little cough.

"I know, they can be a little bit over zealous shall we say; but they do get the job done." Mrs Swithen gestured to jeans guy and he walked out of the warehouse, returning moments later with a rather comfortable looking chair. Without even looking behind her she smoothed her skirt and sat, crossing her legs with charm and precision. Every inch the lady.

"It is a pity for you that it has come to this Mr Spencer" she said in a refined voice "It was not part of the original plan."

Shawn struggled to sit a little more upright as he spoke.

"Your plan to kill your son? I have to say..." Shawn paused here as a new pain flashed from his stomach into his back but after a moment he continued. "When did it occur to you that you could use his little feeble blackmail attempt to murder him and keep all your husband's money for yourself?"

Mrs Swithen settled back into her clean, comfortable chair (God how Shawn envied her that chair, the one he was tied to was damp, broken and blood stained) and smiled.

"You see that little comment is why I decided I could not leave you alone. And it is why you are here right now. Clever little man aren't you? Working it all out." She looked down at her exquisitely painted nails and blew a little dust off them. All trace of the timorous and terrified Mother was gone; leaving in its stead a cold and callous woman.

"I have to ask though, what gave me away? I really thought I had planned this all to perfection." she asked.

Shawn's head felt as if it were about to explode and his vision was wavering. All in all he felt like crap but he knew he had to keep her talking. He had to delay her final plan in the (probably vain) hope that someone, anyone, would come looking for him. It was the only thing he could do – so he began to talk as if his life depended upon it. Which, with reflection, it did.

"You knew straight away that Sebastian had written those first letters. That he wanted to get his hands on some of his Father's money but you did not want to give it him. So you wrote the last two letters and added them to the pile you handed me at the office." Shawn had to stop at this point, the energy required to talk was draining him and he was finding it increasingly hard to breath. But he needed to pull it together and carry on. "No rest for the wicked" he thought.

"You planned it all, increased the threats and then picked these two lovely gentlemen to kill Sebastian" Shawn inclined his aching head to the two goons standing at the side of Mrs Swithen. They both growled (which Shawn did not see as an encouraging sign) and moved a step closer to him, fists tightly clenched.

"Now, now boys" Mrs Swithen purred gently, a small arrogant smile on her lips. A smile that did not reach her eyes. "Please let Mr Spencer have his moment in the metaphorical sun. After all he will never feel the real thing again. Now as to what happens next..."

Spencer's insides clenched with a mixture of pain and revulsion. He had met bad parents before but never one who had so meticulously planned the framing and murder of their only son. He looked again at the woman in front of him; unsure as to how he had been so completely taken in.

Shawn began to cough and each one wracked his body with pain and he could not speak, only moan. The look of disgust on the woman's face at such a display of weakness brought Shawn back to himself. He had to keep going if he wanted to live. If she lost interest in him or found him pathetic she would wipe her hands of him at once. He needed to continue to impress her as best he could.

"Forgive me Mrs Swithen..." he managed to say, pulling himself upright again in the chair, fighting the nausea and light headedness. "Very bad manners to interrupt you when you are talking. Please just blame my current situation."

Spencer carried on with the facade of politeness, sensing that being a gentleman was the best way forward. Mrs Swithen loved being treated as a respectable lady and, at this conjuncture, anything he could do to keep the cold hearted bitch at bay was in his best interests. Although as he spoke his vision became cloudy and he found it increasingly difficult to focus on his captor. Shawn could feel the sticky congealing mess around his wound and each breath was a battle. The blood loss, combined with the beating, was winning; he was very close to losing the battle to stay awake. And he knew that if he lost consciousness the chances were that he would never regain it. So on he fought; more out of stubbornness than any real belief of hope or rescue.

"I suppose" he continued "you knew you needed to do something to stop the authorities being suspicious but you did not want to go to the police; did not want an official investigation. So you figured that you should hire me and Gus. You assumed we were fakes; thought we would not be able to work it all out. But once Sebastian turned up dead it would still look like you had tried to do the right (if misguided) thing."

Mrs Swithen inclined her head slightly, indicating that Shawn was correct in his assumption but also that he should continue.

Gathering his rapidly diminishing strength Shawn did just that.

"Then I guess you got nervous..."

Mrs Swithen frowned and Shawn knew he had made a mistake saying that she had ever felt scared and he quickly amended his words.

"No, sorry, not nervous. You got even cleverer..."

At this she smiled a little and motioned for him to carry on again. She was obviously enjoying this; the dying man in front of her extolling her virtues. Her vanity was astounding.

"You found out that Sebastian was meeting me and you thought it would be the ideal time for him to be "kidnapped"; I would be a witness to it all. So you sent Tweedledee and Tweedledum over to my office"

The aforementioned men both grunted, not sure what the names meant but correctly realising that they were not complimentary. They made to move forward but Mrs Swithen merely raised her immaculately varnished hand and they stopped. But the looks on their faces made Shawn really uncomfortable; if they had wanted to hurt him before now it was personal. They wanted to kill him in the most painful way they could think of.

This interruption had given Shawn a few vital seconds to regain some air and the new threat increased his adrenaline. He began again.

"But they heard me saying I knew it was Sebastian who wrote the letters. So when they called you from there, telling you that I had figured it out you knew the original plan would not work. You knew I would tell the police and that it left you vulnerable. Then Sebastian escaped and that made things even harder. So you had to change the plan - bring me here to kill me and then find Sebastian and make it look like we had a fight?" Shawn had to stop for a minute but then carried on; still trying to work the whole thing out "But he got away didn't he? You haven't been able to find him yet have you? What is the plan now?"

"Oh please don't worry on my account Mr Spencer, things are in hand regarding my son" Mrs Swithen said "You are correct in so many ways. When I realised that you knew he had written the letters I had to come up with an alternative plan. In many ways it was so much superior to my first one. With this plan the police would have a victim and the murderer; all neatly wrapped up and delivered for them. You see the whole tragic story is this. You and Sebastian met at your offices; you accused him and then you both fought viciously. He stabbed you and then brought you here, planning to kill you in a deserted warehouse and dispose of the body. But he was never very good at tying knots and you broke free and stabbed him in turn. His death was pretty much instantaneous but you sadly were so badly injured you could not escape and you bled to death here, alone and in immense pain."

Shawn was confused; her words were wrong in some way. He just could not understand what was not right. But he could not dwell on it; he needed to keep going.

"There is just...one...thing" but he had reached his limit; he could not find the breath to complete the sentence and it petered out with a barely repressed groan.

"Please let me help you Mr Spencer." She replied "I suppose you wish to inquire as to why I, a seemingly loving and over protective Mother should turn so viciously upon her only child?"

Shawn looked at her, sitting so correctly, as if she had been born into the riches and social circles and the life she so obviously craved. And something clicked in his mind and he knew what it was that drove her to this. Why she had betrayed the natural inclination of parents to protect their offspring against all things.

"Well?" she enquired "Do you wish me to tell you all? To expose my inner mind to the likes of you? You will be sorely disappointed Mr Spencer as I will not. You will die ignorant, a fitting end for the likes of you."

Shawn tried to take a deep breath; he failed. But he still managed to say all he needed to.

"I already know Mrs Swithen. I already know why."

In an instant she changed, gone was the lady and behind her eyes all he could see was the venal, vile woman behind her image.

"You cannot know. You cannot understand." She gestured towards the goons still standing silently behind her "You cannot comprehend what he and his Father took from me and from the whole World."

With that she turned her head and spewed her vicious instructions to jeans man.

"We shall not wait; I wish to see him die now."

Shawn knew then that his assumptions as to her motives were correct but he also realised that this knowledge would do him no good. His time was up. He only hoped that when it was over it would be Lassiter who found him, not Gus or Juliet. He did not want them to have to experience that.

The two men moved closer and Shawn finally managed to take a deep breath. Despite the pain he savoured every molecule of the air he inhaled; he looked out past the door into the sunlight and fixed his eyes on that as death approached. He would not show fear; though he felt it.

As the first punch doubled him over in pain he fought to grab every last possible image of the World he was leaving. The light streaming through the door was beautiful and bright and he welcomed the agony of seeing it.

Another blow and a shadow fell over the light.

For one moment Shawn thought help had come, that he was safe, but then he realised what he was seeing through the streaming blood and the encroaching darkness.

It was not rescue; it was the shadow of a stumbling, fearful man being thrown unwillingly into the warehouse. Shawn recognised the shadow. It was Sebastian.

And then it hit him - when Mrs Swithen told her ending to the story she spoke as if it would all still take place. And, with the appearance of Sebastian, Shawn realised why. Now she had both of them her ending would be what happened. It would all happen just as she had said.

And as the darkness finally fell Shawn knew that he was dead.

XXX


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter **9.**

" **It was who?" Lassiter asked for the third time as he tried to keep up with Guster who was in the process of seemingly destroying one corner of the Swithen's office. "The Mother?"**

" **Yes. She wrote the last 2 letters. Yes!" Gus yelled with excitement as he managed to open a small locked cabinet in the far corner of the room. It had been partially obscured by a large, expensive looking but hideous vase – which now lay in pieces on the carpet.**

" **What in the name of all that is holy are you doing Guster?" Lassiter put his hand to his head and covered his eyes as Gus pulled everything out of the cupboard and reached into its back. The Head Detective groaned. This was all he needed. He was used to Spencer acting like a lunatic but Guster could usually be counted on for a modicum of sanity...but not now.**

 **It had all begun five minutes earlier when the three of them had been sitting despairingly in the drawing room, having just realised that what they had hoped was a clue had in actual fact been a dead end. Guster was staring at the letters in his hands and muttering something under his breath. Suddenly the pharmaceutical rep had jolted upright, gasped and yelled. "I've got it" He had then grabbed Sebastian by the throat and demanded directions to Mrs Swithen's study and if she had a private locked cupboard. Sebastian had given the information readily and had even offered up details of where she hid the key. Without another word Gus had run from the drawing room, clutching the threatening letters to his chest.**

 **Leaving Buzz to guard the snivelling kid Lassiter and Juliet had followed and listened in confusion as Gus blurted out his sudden revelation.**

" **You must be out of your mind Guster" Lassiter moved over to where the frantic man seemed to be straining to try and pull something out of the cabinet. "Why on Earth would that woman, who you yourself described as an over protective and coddling Mother, want to try and do this? Wanting to kill Spencer I can understand but her own kid..."**

" **Carlton" A sharp voice, full of reprimand, came from behind him and Lassiter stopped speaking, knowing he had pissed off Juliet. And in truth, he had not really meant it, not under the present circumstances... "But" he thought as he flashed a silent apology at his partner "Give me a break, 'cos really Spencer is annoying. I just hope he is alive and well enough after all this to continue to annoy me." Shaken by an almost friendly feeling towards the police psychic Lassiter pulled himself back into the present and looked up to see that Gus had managed to get what he wanted out of the cupboard.**

 **It was a printer. That was all. Just a printer. So why then, thought both detectives did Spencer's partner have such a big grin on his face?**

" **I told you. It must have been her. She did it." He shouted "She wrote the last two letters."**

" **But how do you know that Gus?" Juliet asked anxiously. The past few hours had weighed heavily on her and she was desperate to find Shawn. She missed her friend; at least that was what she told herself. If there was more to her feelings towards the childish, irritating and amazing psychic now was not the time for her to investigate them. That could wait until he was home safely. If he came home.**

" **It's all to do with the letters, he told me. He made sure I knew. Damn that it took me so long." As he spoke Gus turned on the printer and pressed a button. The machine emitted a quiet hum as it printed a test page. Once it was completed Gus held it up for the two detectives to see.**

" **Don't you see it now?" he said "It doesn't have the fuzzy edges!"**

 **Still his companions looked puzzled and with a sigh Gus began to explain; all the time realising this must be what Shawn felt like when he could see connections and trails that others could not. If it weren't for the fact that he knew Shawn was out there somewhere, hurt or possibly worse, Gus might have actually enjoyed the sensation of being able for once, to explain a case.**

 **He held up one of the first letters, the last one and the test page. Lassiter and Juliet took a much closer look and suddenly they too saw it too.**

 **The edges of the letters on the first letter were blurry and slightly fuzzy, whereas the ones on the final letter and the text print out were sharp and focused.**

" **I looked into this when we had to buy bulk printer paper at my real job. The boss put me in charge. I wanted our correspondence to look super good so I went with the best paper money could buy." Gus began "See moisture and paper don't mix well and inkjets printers like this Mrs Swithen's one work by spraying liquid onto paper. With a regular piece of paper, the liquid sinks in, spreads like a watercolor, and gives you images with blurry edges."**

 **The two detectives were staring at Gus again, wondering if he had finally lost it. How did this help prove that Mrs Swithen was the villain?**

" **Just listen" continued Gus as he saw their bemused expressions. "Special inkjet papers have coatings or special formulations that promote rapid drying and prevent the ink from blurring. See like the writing on the final two letters and the test page. And..." Gus reached over and opened the paper draw of Mrs Swithen's printer and pulled out its contents..."this is inkjet paper."**

 **The detectives still looked unconvinced so Gus ran over to where a larger printer sat on the desk in the middle of the room and once again turned it on and printed out a test page. Its letters were blurred.**

" **Don't you see?" he said desperately "She hid this printer cos it is wi-fi one and she could print stuff from a lap top anywhere else in the house and no-one would know. She could just come down here a get it any time and as she did not use it much she must still be using the paper that came with it. They always give you the expensive stuff when you buy it first cos it looks good. But most people, even very rich ones, tend to just buy the normal stuff. Why waste the money right? I know my boss was very annoyed I had spent as much..." Gus's voice tapered off as he remembered that particular scene with his boss...then he saw the others looking at him. He knew they thought he was reaching for something out of nothing but he was so sure.**

" **I am sorry but that does not prove anything Guster." Lassiter said "Just that Mrs Swithen is a tight wad despite all her wealth."**

" **Please Lassie, just go with me on this." Gus replied, total belief in his voice. "I know I am right. It was what Shawn needed me to see. Can we please just look into this? It's not as if we have any other leads is it?"**

 **Glancing at each other, Lassiter and Juliet had to agree. Following this lead up was better than the alternative – sitting around hopelessly; knowing all the time that Shawn was in terrible danger.**

" **Let's go get that bratty kid and see what we can get out of him back at the station." Lassiter's voice was almost a growl. He was no fan of Spencer but neither was he fond of people who wasted police time or abandoned a colleague.**

 **Stopping only to grab the paper evidence Lassiter, Gus and Juliet headed back to the drawing room. Gus was really looking forward to this; to seeing that kids getting arrested. Ok he was not sure what Lassiter could charge him with other than wasting police time but looking at the Head Detective's face as he walked downstairs and across the large hall he knew that Sebastian was not going to be in for an easy ride.**

 **But something was wrong; the large wooden front door was open and they could hear yelling and pleading coming from the long driveway. They caught sight of a stunned Buzz lying on the floor by the door from the living room. Fearing the worst they ran to the front door, just in time to see Sebastian being dragged into a car by two very large and very thuggish looking men.**

 **Lassiter pulled out his gun; swiftly followed by Juliet and yelled at them to stop. But they took no notice. As one of them got into the driver's seat the other raised his arm and gunfire exploded across the driveway. Gus dropped to the ground yelling and the two detectives took cover. They returned fire; but they were hampered by not wanting to hit Sebastian.**

 **The car started moving and as it swept noisily out of the iron gates the detectives and Gus ran to their vehicle to follow the rapidly disappearing car. They did not understand what was going on but Sebastian was the only lead they had and they were determined not to lose him.**

 **XXX**

" **How in the hell did you manage to lose them Lassiter?" Gus was beside himself with anger.**

 **They had followed the car with the goons and Sebastian for about half an hour; trying not to be seen. Juliet had said that perhaps it would be better to tail them. That maybe they would lead them to Shawn. They had all agreed that this was the best course of action and had called for a squad car to back them up.**

 **This was their mistake – the cop driving the marked police car was not fully trained in surveillance and had been made by the thugs. The ensuing car chase had only lasted about 3 minutes before the rookie police driver made a massive error and ended up swerving right in front of Lassiter's car. The Head Detective had to take evasive action and when his pride and joy had finally stopped spinning round they had all lost sight of the escaping vehicle.**

 **To say the air had been blue would have been an understatement. Lassiter's rage called into question the parentage and the mental stability of the unfortunate policeman and Juliet showed a knowledge of blunt Anglo-Saxon words that actually shocked both her partner and Gus.**

 **But when it came down to it no amount of cursing or temper could alter the fact that the car, and its occupants, were gone.**

" **Where in the hell are we anyway?" Lassiter growled as he watched the other driver slink off.**

" **Near Potter's Field Industrial Estate I think." Juliet replied in a distracted and worried fashion.**

" **Are you sure? Gus's voice was higher pitched than normal and it made his companions look around. "Seriously Juliet, are we near there?"**

" **Yes" she replied "Why?"**

" **Just something I read about the late Mr Swithen." Gus stared at the two bewildered faces that were looking at him. "Look, it's probably nothing, a long shot. But it is all we have right now. I'll explain as we drive."**

 **XXX**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

" **Please wake up Mr Spencer. It is rude to keep a lady waiting."**

 **The cut glass voice dug its way into his brain; poking him painfully until he had to obey. It was not a voice that he could ignore and with a low groan he tried to open his eyes. He was not successful.**

" **Come now Mr Spencer, surely you can do better than that. Afterall my men stopped beating you after only a few minutes. I am sure you are not too damaged. Or are you just scared?"**

 **Okay, that was it. Shawn was not going to lose face with this woman; she was so superior and full of herself. He pried his eyes open, feeling the congealed blood on his eye lash crack and break apart. Finally he succeeded and was rewarded by the sight of Sebastian standing beside his mother; a knife at his throat. It was held in place by Jeans Man who was standing behind the teenager, grinning from ear to ear. Here was a man who clearly loved his job.**

 **Sebastian looked terrified and horribly confused. Shawn felt a wave of sympathy for him. Bad enough to know someone was trying to kill you, how seriously crap must it feel to know that someone was your own Mother?**

 **Beside him Shawn could feel the presence of the two new thugs who had bundled Sebastian into the warehouse and he realised that his chances of escape had plummeted even more. In his condition taking on one woman would have been difficult but four armed men? Impossible.**

 **Mrs Swithen silently acknowledged that Shawn was awake and then continued speaking.**

" **I suppose it may have been kinder on my part to just kill you whilst you were unconscious but I did so want to apologise for my little outburst earlier. I do feel I really rather I let the side down. Whilst I admit I may not be parent of the year; it does not do to lose control in such a manner in front of one's child." She smiled and waited for him to speak.**

 **Shawn wanted so much to tell her where to go but as he began to try and speak he noticed the knife point at Sebastian's throat. It was beginning to cut the kids skin and Shawn knew that any show of defiance from him and the boy would die. So he smiled – not his normal sparkling, energetic eccentric smile but a cool collected and more socially acceptable one. Perfect for Mrs Swithen.**

" **I totally understand and" he coughed a little but hurriedly carried on talking, no space here for weakness "I am very happy to accept your apology." Mrs Swithen simply stared at him.**

 **As he waited for her next move Shawn allowed himself a moment to embrace his pain and deal with it. He knew he needed all his wits about him at this moment. So he took his pain and put it in a box in his mind; the place he often hid his feelings and emotions. Shawn was good at hiding things that hurt him mentally and now he summoned all his strength to do the same with his physical pain. He still felt each and every wound and bruise but somehow it was as if they belonged to someone else.**

" **I am afraid we must now play out the final scene." Mrs Swithen stood, brushed down her skirt and turned to face her son. "I feel I may need to offer you an explanation Sebastian but perhaps it would be best if we just ended this swiftly. You are my son afterall and I do not wish to cause you unnecessary suffering. So let us say goodbye and please do not struggle; it is so unbecoming and also extremely pointless" She reached her arms out, as if to embrace him but he twisted his upper body to the left, cutting his neck a little on the knife as he turned his head away from her in disgust and terror.**

" **I see. Well, no-one can say I did not try." Shawn could not believe Mrs Swithen. She was just so cold.**

 **She turned once more to Shawn. "It has been an interesting experience meeting you Mr Spencer. Goodbye."**

 **As she spoke Jeans Man pulled Sebastian's head back, exposing his throat to the knife. At the same time one of the new guys pulled the blood soaked bandage off Shawn's stomach, ripping open the wound and making it bleed profusely once again. The pain made everything fade; images and sounds became diffused and unfocused. But then...**

 **A loud crash and the sound of wood splintering.**

 **A sudden rush of movement.**

 **Yells.**

" **Police"**

" **Drop your weapons."**

" **Now. Drop them now."**

" **God, Shawn."**

" **I will kill him."**

 **Then stillness and silence.**

 **For a moment Shawn did not understand. Then his vision became less bleary and he saw a wonderful sight.**

 **Gus. Lassie. Jules. And five other armed police officers. All in the warehouse.**

 **The thugs had done as they were told and dropped their weapons. Sebastian was half lying, half leaning against a male officer who was trying to check for injuries.**

 **Gus had come. Jules had come. Even Lassie had come.**

 **But now Shawn realised that no-one was approaching him; instead they were all keeping their distance and they were staring at him aghast. He was sure there was a reason for this but, for the life of him, he was just so tired that he could not work out why they weren't coming to help him.**

 **Then he felt a cold gun at his head and he understood.**

" **I will kill him if you do not put YOUR weapons down officers." Mrs Swithen's voice was still genteel and almost polite, with an undercurrent of how distasteful she found all this. "I am not usually one to involve myself directly but believe me when I say that I am more than happy to make an exception this time. Mr Spencer can truly be just the most irritating man"**

 **Lassiter felt a brief moment of kinship with the mad woman; many the time he had wanted to inflict some pain on the annoying psychic...but not like this. He watched as Mrs Swithen shifted the gun in her hand onto a more comfortable position and he shivered a little as he saw the look on her face. Even with all his experience never had he seen someone who seemed as unfazed or unworried as this woman. It was like she really could not; or would not; believe that it was all over.**

 **Juliet just could not take her eyes off Shawn. He seemed dazed and so very hurt. It made her cold to think about what that woman and her goons had done to him. Juliet was not by nature a violent person but a small part of her just wanted to grab Mrs Swithen and kick the living daylights out of her. She was not proud of this feeling and she knew there was no way she would ever do it but just knowing that this freak had hurt Shawn so badly made her almost lose herself.**

 **All Gus could do was stand there and watch the blood slowly drip from his friend's torso. Stand there and blame himself. His partner was a mess, bruised, bloodied and barely conscious. With a gun to his head. Gus could see no way that this could end well.**

" **I said" Mrs Swithen repeated calmly "Put down your guns officers. All of you."**

 **The police looked towards Lassiter, who hesitated for just a moment but then nodded minutely. As one all the officers laid their guns on the floor and took a few steps back. That is except Juliet who had entered the warehouse with her gun holstered, intent on freeing Shawn first. She made no attempt to give up her gun and in the general confusion Mrs Swithen did not notice. Feeling its weight in its holster Juliette did nothing though; she still felt totally at a loss as to how she could help Shawn.**

 **With her free hand Mrs Swithen reached down into her purse and pulled out a beautiful little penknife; with which she proceeded to cut the ropes that were binding Shawn. Once these were cut she pulled, almost gently on his shirt and whispered to the clearly concussed and unnaturally pliant psychic "Stand up now Mr Spencer, there's a good man."**

 **Everyone watching was amazed as Shawn did as he was told without any wise arse comment. It was like watching someone sleep walking as he slowly and painfully got to his feet. He stood there, swaying on the spot and bleeding out.**

" **Now, if you have any feelings of friendship towards this man, as I suspect a number of you do, you will not impede me leaving. Nor will you follow me." As she spoke Mrs Swithen began to move slowly towards the door, prodding Shawn with the gun as she went.**

 **But the movement seemed to reignite Shawn and those watching saw his him almost shake himself back to life; taking in his situation as if for the first time.**

 **His eyes flickered around him and Juliet thought for a second that she caught a glimpse of fire in them; a brief moment of the old Shawn re-appearing. But then it was gone again as she watched him gasp in pain and stumble slightly.**

 **That small faltering in his step seemed to incense the mad woman holding him. She forced the gun hard against his cheek, re-opening a gash from the fight in the office.**

" **Have some pride Mr Spencer." She said, a look of disgust on her face "I intend to leave here in a dignified fashion and you will not make this any more unpleasant than it already is. Now say goodbye to your colleagues and walk like a man".**

 **Shawn did not react immediately, instead he looked at the people standing motionless in front of him. His friends; oh and Lassie too. It would be easy to do as he was told, hoping that she would let him go when she was clear. But that was not him. Even supposing she did keep her word, there was no way he could allow her to escape, not after all she had done. Decision made Shawn spoke for the first time since the cavalry had arrived.**

" **Surely you are not leaving without playing your final scene, Mrs Swithen?" Even to his own ears his voice sounded weak and broken so he tried his best to make his next sentence louder... "After all" he thought "given her reaction last time; this might be the final thing I ever say."**

" **What do you mean?" she replied in an irritated fashion.**

" **The scene where you explain why you did all this." Shawn's voice had gained a little strength but still sounded hoarse and painful**

" **I told you before I was not going to lower myself with explanations. Those are for common people, not for such as I. Now be quiet before I forget that I am a lady and blow your head off instead"**

 **The irritation had turned to cold hatred and Shawn could feel the gun as it pressed ever harder to the side of his head. He was terrified but knew that he could not stop now.**

" **Well, perhaps you will allow me to explain why you became a husband killer and the world's worst Mother?"**

 **Mrs Swithen exploded, all gentility and refinement dropped from her face and posture, all that was left was snarling, naked loathing.**

" **You bastard" she yelled in his face. Spittle was spraying out of her mouth in her anger, as she smashed the barrel of the gun across his mouth. She pointed it directly at his face and her finger tightened on the trigger of the gun.**

 **But by delaying the fatal shot for one vital second as she hit him Shawn was able to reach up and grab the gun. For a desperate moment the weapon wavered, as both fought over it. One trying to kill, the other to survive.**

 **Then a shot.**

 **And the silence returned.**

 **XXX**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter11**

 **Gus watched frozen in horror as Mrs Swithen and Shawn fought for the gun; it only lasted a brief second but it was terrifying. There was nothing he could do to help save his friend.**

 **Luckily Juliet reacted differently. Her training overtook her concern for Shawn and (before she even realised it) her gun was out of her holster and pointing at the struggling pair. With no hesitation and seemingly no worry over hitting Shawn instead; totally professionally and with intense focus; she aimed and fired. The loud retort of the shot echoed through the warehouse and everyone watched as Mrs Swithen faltered and almost fell; a red stain blossoming at her side. She looked down and saw her own blood spread out onto her silk blouse but she looked merely startled.**

 **In the moment of distraction Shawn took his chance and tried to reach for the gun but his pain and exhaustion made him stumble and he failed. As he fell to his knees Gus and Lassiter rushed forward and grabbed him whilst Mrs Swithen stared at her wound. They just had enough time to drag him about five feet away when they heard her speak.**

" **Stop now please. And you young lady, put down your gun or I will kill him."**

 **Both Gus and Lassiter looked up and saw Mrs Swithen standing in front of them with the gun pointing directly at them. They froze, with Shawn hanging between them, limp and currently unmoving. None of the other officers in the warehouse had had time to make a move for their guns; only Juliet had hers out – still trained on Mrs Swithen.**

" **Please be assured" Mrs Swithen continued "I am a woman of my word and I will kill him and possibly the other two holding him before you can finish me off"**

 **Juliet hesitated but then dropped her gun and it joined the others on the floor.**

" **Mr Spencer, that is twice now you have alluded to the fact that you know the reasons behind my actions." Considering she was now bleeding copiously from her wound her voice was still cut glass and totally in control. "You really are incredibly annoying. You could not possibly hope to understand my motivations and my feelings in this matter."**

 **Gus felt Shawn stir and try to stand up straight. Gus supported him, as did Lassiter. And with a groan and a wince the psychic managed it.**

 **Shawn was not entirely sure how he had got free but he did know that without Gus and Lassie holding him chances were he would end up right back on the floor. So he cast them a quick glance of gratitude and then turned his already faltering attention onto Mrs Swithen. He somehow knew that this situation would not end well but he needed to try and see if he could talk everyone down; make sure they all got home (or to prison) safely. He hated violence and unnecessary death and he had enough of it. He had to at least attempt to reach her. Perhaps if her true motivations were revealed she would be able to let go and all this could stop. Or perhaps what he was about to do would drive her over the edge. There was no way of knowing but even in his befuddled and certainly concussed state Shawn knew he had to try and help.**

" **I do understand Mrs Swithen" he began, his words calm and clear despite the pain coursing through his entire body. He continued the words he did not believe but that she did with such ferocity. "I can feel your unhappiness and your great talent. Such a waste, such a loss to the World. The spirits are telling me that you were born to act; to sing; to entertain. They are saying that we all lost a bit of magic when you had to stop your career."**

 **Everyone in the warehouse just stared at Shawn, each thinking that the pain and torture he had undergone had finally broken him. But they were wrong, Shawn was reaching deep within her madness to the root of all her problems and the look on her face was proof of this.**

 **Shawn could feel himself slipping a little and he realised that he needed to do this quickly, his body was shutting down. He had started to shiver and could no longer feel his extremities. He was scared and just so tired but he could not stop now.**

" **He made you give up didn't he? He wanted a child, not you? All those years when you gave everything up for him and what did you get in the end? Sure there were material rewards but no love, no appreciation of your immense talent." Shawn paused for a moment and Gus had to tighten his hold on his friend as he could feel his strength waning "How it must have hurt you when you saw his will. After all you had sacrificed he did not even do as he had promised did he?" This last bit was a gamble but Shawn was sure it was the right direction when he saw the anger and resentment in her eyes.**

" **I had so much to give; I was so talented but he said I could not continue. It was not "proper" for a woman of my new social standing to continue with my singing or acting career. So I did as he said and I deprived the world of my genius" Mrs Swithen was full on ranting now, spittle forming at the edges of her mouth "Then he made me have that..." here her eyes turned towards a shocked and stunned Sebastian, still standing between two officers. He was unable to move as he heard for the first time quite how much the mother he always thought was over protective and pathetic had actually resented and hated him.**

" **...I never wanted the brat. He ruined my body and made it even more unlikely that I would ever get the chance to perform. My husband made it clear that having a child was my job and that he would divorce me if I did not. So I played the only role that was left to me. That of an overly doting parent. I made sure the boy got no real love and attention, just material things. I raised him spoilt and arrangant, ruined him for the fun of it. Of course my husband didn't care, he took no real notice of the child once he knew he had a boy to continue the business. Sebastian was so needy in the beginning but I soon made him learn that there was no affection in our lives. In some ways, hurting him made up a little for what I lost. But in the end it was not enough. I wanted my payment."**

" **Well why didn't you leave him? No-one can force you to give up your career or to have a baby." Juliet could not help but intervene, unable to believe that this really was the source of the problem. No way would she have let a man do such a thing to her. "Did you really love him that much that you could not divorce him?"**

" **No Jules," Shawn's ever quietening voice reached her and she turned once more to look at him "she never loved him; did you?" He meet Mrs Swithen's gaze and held it "After all those years struggling to make it you had captured a rich man and you did not want to give up the life style. You liked what his money could bring didn't you?"**

" **And so what if I did? He was older than me and I knew I could just wait it out. Once he was dead I could dump the kid and use the money to launch myself. The World only had to wait a short while I thought. So I went along with it. But the old, lecherous buzzard just would not die." Mrs Swithen suddenly shuddered here but no-one was sure if it was from blood loss or the memory of having to be intimate with her husband. "I waited and waited. He had promised me that I would get it all once he died. And I had had enough of waiting."**

" **So that's why he had to die, yes?" Shawn's tone was despairing now "Because you did kill him didn't you? That was the first part of your plan. Kill him and Sebastian at the same time in that car crash. But Sebastian spoilt it all didn't he, by surviving."**

 **Lassiter stared at the psychic. How in sweet justice's name had the man worked all this out? He chanced a quick glance over to the officer standing just by the door. The man was wearing a small "live action" camera on his uniform – part of a new initiative for the Force. Lassiter gave a small smile, the camera meant that they had her confession on tape – they would not have to just rely on Spencer's "psychic messages". The detective still did not believe in the other man's powers but had to admit that the guy just seemed to know things that nobody else did. Lassiter had investigated that car crash and he had not found anything suspicious with it. Muttering under his breath once more about wise arse "psychics" he still made sure he was holding the man up right.**

 **Mrs Swithen straightened her arm as Shawn spoke, the gun unwavering in her hand despite the blood flowing from her side.**

" **But by then I had seen the will and I knew he had lied to me, the conniving bastard. Yes, Sebastian should have died. All the money would have been mine. I was stuck then. It is hard to convince people of two tragic accidents in such a short space of time. I really had no idea what to do until the idiot" here another short disgusted glance at Sebastian "gave me the perfect opportunity. With his stupid plan to extort money off me I finally had the chance to kill him and take what was mine. It was such a good plan but you, Mr Spencer, have rather ruined it all haven't you? I fear I will never be able to hold my head up in decent society again and prison is no place from which to launch an acting career. Perhaps it would be better if I did not survive this."**

 **As she spoke Mrs Swithen moved the gun from covering Shawn and placed it under her own chin.**

" **No don't please" Shawn tried to move towards her but Gus and Lassiter held him back. "It's not too late. Perhaps with help you and Sebastian can at least form some kind of relationship" Shawn glanced at the young man in desperation but Sebastian stared at his Mother and then slowly and deliberately turned his head away. Shawn groaned in despair.**

" **What makes you think I would even want that Mr Spencer?" Mrs Swithen asked "I did not want the boy before; nothing in my present predicament has changed that. He is nothing to me."**

 **For the first time in his life Shawn had no words. He did not know how to reach her.**

" **Please Mrs Swithen" he reached for anything he could find "There is no need for anyone else to die."**

" **It is strange that you should care Mr Spencer, considering how much I have hurt you." For a second there was almost a glimpse of warmth in her eyes but it was soon replaced by blankness and ice. "I see that one of your officer friends is equipped with a camera. I hope he is getting all this. Afterall it is my final chance to make it big, isn't it? If nothing else I was always the consummate professional and I will leave the stage my own way"**

 **And Mrs Swithen turned to face the small camera, smiled, pressed the gun tightly under her chin and pulled the trigger.**

 **As the woman's body slumped to the floor Shawn gave a quiet sigh of despair and then he too went limp; only held up by Gus and Lassiter's arms.**

 **XXX**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Gus sat on the hard waiting room chair and stared at the boring magnolia wall; mind closed off from the horrors of the day. Refusing to think about the blood and the brain matter splattered all over...no, he would not think of it. It was too much; he needed to concentrate on Shawn and how he was doing. Not that he had any idea how that actually was. It had been three hours since they had all rushed here, chasing the ambulance carrying Shawn and still no-one had been out to speak to them. Gus knew that this was because they were still working on him; but even so a few words would have gone some way to ending the feeling of utter hopelessness that cascaded through him.

But maybe silence was better than knowing an awful truth he thought. Remembering how white Shawn had looked and how silent, Gus shuddered. He could not get the images out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. His friend covered in blood, bruised and cut and quiet. The bustle of the paramedics as they tried to stem the renewed flow from his wound and get him stabilised enough to survive the journey to the hospital. The ER doors swinging shut on him, Juliet and Lassiter. Leaving them with nothing to do except think of the final scene at the warehouse.

After that shot and the thud of Mrs Swithens body there had been a moment of silence and then a massive flurry of activity. Policemen secured the scene; medical staff ran in to attend to Sebastian and to Shawn. Lassiter and Juliet managed the situation, both with half an eye on where Shawn lay surrounded by people working on him. And Gus sat there, holding onto Shawn's hand, fighting his usual urge to run and be sick. He would not leave his friend; even though he knew Shawn was too far gone to realise he was there.

Then the paramedics put Shawn on a gurney and rushed him to the waiting ambulance. Despite his entreaties Gus was not allowed to go with them. He watched the vehicle speed away and felt suddenly bereft; with no idea what to do next.

That was when he had felt the hand on his arm and he had turned to see Juliet's face. Gone was the professionalism she had shown earlier on, now all he could see was worry and fear. Expressions he knew were reflected in his own features.

"Come on, let's go." Juliet's voice was quiet and full of emotion "He will be okay, I know it. This is Shawn, there's no way he can..." At this point her voice gave out completely and Gus moved forward and hugged her tightly; her unspoken fear shared between them.

"I'll drive" a gruff voice from behind them indicated that they had been joined by Lassiter "We'll put on the lights."

They broke apart from the embrace and looked over at the Head Detective.

"Thanks" Gus said, knowing this would mean they would get to the hospital so much quicker.

Juliet reached over and grabbed Lassiter's hand and squeezed it. The lanky man allowed the contact for a second or two and then broke it; not willing to let his real feelings be seen. He would go so far as to admit that he was concerned as well; but not worried. No, never worried about Spencer. But after all the man was part of the department, like it or not. And you had to care about your fellow workers. "That's the only reason I am doing this" Lassiter told himself as he got behind the wheel of his beloved car and raced off towards the hospital "Concern for a work colleague and not worry over a friend." But, even as this thought worked its way across his mind, his foot pressed harder on the gas and he drove faster than he had ever done before.

And now all three were sitting there, waiting. Lassiter had muttered something about needing to go about an hour ago but he had not made any move towards the exit and was still perched on the edge of the hard plastic seat, intensely staring at the off grey lino floor.

Juliet was hunched on another seat, holding herself in both physically and emotionally – as if she would not allow herself to feel anything more. Her eyes were red from her crying at the warehouse but since they had got to the hospital she had turned almost to stone. She no longer knew what to feel; the potential loss of Shawn was just too big, she had no space in her mind to deal with the echoing chasm it would leave in her life and so she did not allow herself to think about it. Not now.

The door to the waiting room opened but none of them stood up or even looked up. Though they had been waiting for so long for a moment none of them was able to face what was going to be said...if the words weren't actually spoken then it hadn't happened, right?

"You are the family and friends of Mr Shawn Spencer are you not?" a slightly baffled voice broke the silence and they all knew it was time to learn the truth. They stood up and faced the doctor who had just come in and all nodded.

"Mr Spencer was extremely ill and weak when he came in" the doctor continued in a quiet voice "and we needed to operate to stem the internal bleeding. The stab wound alone was incredibly serious, add to that the intense beating he took, the blood loss and the head injury...well suffice to say he is an extremely sick man. The extent of his internal problems are..."

But the doctor got no further with his detailed run down of Shawn's injuries as Lassiter, Juliet and Gus latched onto just one word..."IS". The doctor said "IS" and for them that was enough. Shawn was alive and they knew, no matter what, he would fight to stay that way.

Lassiter clapped his right fist into his left hand and quietly whispered "Way to go Spencer."

Juliet's face light up in a massive smile as she began planning Shawn's recuperation and recovery immediately.

And Gus sat back down in the chair and finally gave into the tears that he had held back so long. His friend was going to be okay; there was no doubt in his mind.

The doctor realised that no-one had been listening to his in depth coverage of the wounded man's health and just gave up. He coughed to gain everyone's attention and just ended by saying.

"He is still badly hurt and it will take some time and a lot of patience but I am sure that he will make a full recovery. You can see him in about half an hour but only for a few minutes and only one at a time."

They all whispered their thanks and as one sat back down on to the waiting room chairs. Shawn was going to be okay and for now that was all that mattered.

XXX


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Two Days Later

Gus twitched and giggled as he turned over in his bed, dreaming of the amazing brunette at the diner...he just knew one more visit and she would finally agree to go out with him. He flipped himself over and suddenly plummeted to the floor. A hard, lino floor not the soft sumptuousness of his beautifully carpeted apartment.

It was then he remembered where he was. The hospital. By Shawn's bedside. Waiting.

Although the doctors were hopeful of a full recovery Shawn had still to fully awake. They had been keeping him on very strong pain medication; so coupled with his injuries and exhaustion the psychic had been pretty much out of it since his admission two days ago.

Gus, Juliet, Henry and even on occasions Lassiter had kept up a rota at the hospital, ensuring Shawn was never left alone. Gus had relieved Henry at about 9pm last night. At first Shawn's Father had not wanted to go but had eventually been persuaded by the doctor. Henry had arrived back from his fishing trip to be met with the news of his son's abduction and wounding and to say he had been mad was understatement. Although it was a little unclear as to whom he was really mad with – his rants were directed at Shawn, Gus, Mrs Swithen, Lassiter and even Buzz at one point. But Gus knew deep down that these blasts of temper were in reality Henry's way of showing concern and worry and for the most part people understood – though they did try and stay out of the tired and irascible man's way as much as possible.

Shaking his head to clear away the last remnants of the delightful dream (whilst making a mental note to go back to the diner as soon as Shawn was better) Gus moved his chair closer to the hospital bed. In all honesty Shawn looked awful...like an extra in a zombie movie. Coloured bruises littered his face; even more apparent when placed against his very pale skin. He had had a fever for the first twenty four hours but this had now broken; however it had left him extremely ashen. Glancing at Shawn and seeing no signs of him waking Gus sighed, got out his phone and started searching for information on the Godzilla festival...after all Shawn would need something to look forward to once he was better.

XXX

He really did not want to do it but Shawn knew he needed to open his eyes. He felt the soft bed under him and smelt the unmistakable aroma of a hospital. So he knew he was safe and being cared for. He also knew that the pain medication he had been undoubtedly been given was a gift from the angels and that he could kiss whoever it was who had administered it.

Given that his last memory before he collapsed was so completely awful Shawn realised that where he was now was so much more preferable. But still he did not want to face the real world. He had failed; that to he knew. Failed Mrs Swithen. It should not have ended the way it did. The case had got away from him. He had realised what had happened as soon as he had remembered the fuzzy letters but the why had taken much more time. This was his failing, if he had seen the motive before the climatic moments perhaps he could have saved her. But his realisation had come too late. A large part of him knew that she had been completely lost to reality for many years; that she was truly beyond any help. Her ambition and hatred had removed any semblance of a decent human being from her long ago. But still that tiny small voice in his head; the part of him that despised violence and enmity told him he could have done more. And if he did not open his eyes he would not have to face it.

But he also knew that he needed to wake; knew that there were people worried about him. In moments of near clarity whilst he slept he had heard the voices of those who sat beside him. At the time he had not got the strength to pull himself fully up out of the pit of darkness in which he was residing but he had sensed their fear and their concern. And it had comforted him in his pain and confusion. So now as his senses returned slowly to him he made the effort; struggled through the restraining yet reassuring shadows of hurt and drugs and finally opened his eyes.

And there was Gus. A tired looking and unusually dishevelled Gus; but there nonetheless. As Shawn knew he would be.

"Hey Gus" Shawn's voice was low and gravelly from disuse.

"Yeah, one minute Shawn. I am just trying to see if I can get tickets for the 1 a.m. showing of "Godzilla Raids Again". It's the only way we can get to see all of the films in order. Do you..." Gus stopped speaking and for a moment he did not even look up from his phone's screen. Then...

"Shawn" and a rush and a hug followed by an immediate "Sorry man" as Shawn yelped in pain from the over enthusiastic embrace.

After a minute of deep breathing from Shawn and continued apologies from Gus, things settled down and the two men looked at each other. An uncharacteristic silence prevailed, both seemingly reluctant to speak first. But someone had to give and it was Gus.

"Man, I really thought there for a minute that..."

"Yeah, me to Gus. Me too." Shawn replied.

"That would have been bad Shawn, if you had..." Gus said.

"Not good at all Gus but hey I didn't, you know "bite the big one"" Shawn stated.

"No. You didn't. I am glad."

"Ditto"

And that was all they said on the subject. And it was enough. Neither man was comfortable with expressing the feelings and emotions that ran through them. It was enough to touch lightly on them and to know that the other felt as strongly as they did. The lack of words did not diminish how grateful they both were that Shawn had survived and that their friendship had not been brought to an early end.

"I guess I should let everyone else know that you have finally decided to wake up." Gus said with a sudden jolt. "Your Dad and Juliet will kill me if I leave it too long"

Shawn did not reply and Gus looked at him a little more closely. He knew Shawn well, better than anyone and he knew when something was weighing him down. He could see the pain returning to his friend's eyes and the pinched look that was taking over his face. And he could also see deeper, to the emotions that were there. The feelings of blame and failure.

"Man, it wasn't your fault Shawn. Seriously."

"Yeah, maybe." Shawn was now feeling decidedly weak and tired; the pain in his body once more threatening to overwhelm him. "But I should have seen it all at the beginning Gus."

"Just get some sleep Shawn. Sebastian is safe and so are you. It's a win, honestly." Gus reached over and touched his friends arm. "You can't see it all Shawn. Not every time."

Shawn nodded, not convinced, but too tired to argue any more. As the pain and the drugs worked on his body and he slowly sank back into the darkness; the feeling of failure was the last emotion to leave.

XXX

 **Only one more chapter to go. It will hopefully be posted tomorrow. Many thanks.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Two more days later.**

" **So basically I could feel her resentment, see her feelings of hatred towards her husband. And of course the letters finally spoke to me" Shawn was holding court; hand against his head "But it did not come all at once sadly, it was drip fed. I guess she had been holding in her emotions for so long that she was even able to shield them from me."**

 **Juliet sat in one chair beside his bed, Henry in the other one next to it. Lassiter and Gus stood just behind them and they were all looking at Shawn with expressions that ranged from concerned interest to outright disbelief. But along side these initial emotions all their faces showed signs of past worry and present relief. Just to have Shawn there, talking thirteen to the dozen about the case was amazing. Something they had not been at all sure was going to happen when he was missing.**

 **Shawn had already explained how he had divined the truth as to the case; the spirits and the psychic flashes. Obviously he, Gus and Henry knew the real truth...internet searches, a natural ability to see and process visual evidence and a good insight into people's motives had solved the case; not supernatural powers. But that would, as always, remain their secret.**

 **Gus had explained to Shawn that they had found him. The pharmaceutical rep had remembered reading that when Mr Swithen's businesses had been wound up on his death the family had kept one warehouse in the industrial estate. Apparently Mrs Swithen had had intentions of using the money her husband was supposed to have left her to turn it into a theater/film studio/drama school or some such. No-one really knew her real intentions. Gus had put two and two together when he realised where they were when they lost the car and he had taken a gamble. One that paid off as they had indeed found Shawn. Even Lassiter was impressed with that bit of detective work; especially as it did not include any theatrics, wild voices or head grabbing.**

" **So did she really do it this because she thought her husband and son had ruined her chance of becoming a massive worldwide star?" Juliet could not hide the disbelief in her voice. The thought of hating your own child was abhorrent to her. And to plan to frame and kill him was unthinkable to the detective.**

 **A look of pain flashed through Shawn's eyes but it was missed by all except Gus who knew to look for it.**

" **Yeah, I guess she felt cheated. Afterall her husband had promised her his money once he was dead. She had been holding out for it but there must have been one insult or demeaning remark too many and she broke. Arranged his "accident" and sat back to wait for the money." Shawn spoke more quietly now "The added bonus of Sebastian being in the car must have suited her very well. But then he lived and she realised the full extent of her husband's treachery. She would have the money but only to hold it in safe keeping for the son she hated. Enter "Mommie Dearest" stage left."**

" **And you got caught up in it all Shawn" Henry growled from his position by the bed. "Of all the idiotic things Shawn; why didn't you wait for Gus to come to the meeting with you? No, like always you have to rush ahead, without thinking or concerning yourself over little things like back up or safety."**

 **Juliet, Lassiter and Gus, as one, quietly moved backwards to the door of the room. They knew that Henry was heading for a complete melt down with Shawn. The police consultant had been holding in his anger at his son for four days now and it was finally overflowing. Whilst Shawn had been so desperately ill Henry had off loaded his worry, fury and outrage onto them...but with Shawn finally on the mend it was the physic's turn. And none of them wanted to watch it. So they ran, leaving the two men alone to sort it out.**

 **As his friends (and Lassie) made their quick exit Shawn had tried to catch their eyes, tried to get them to remain but he failed. So all that was left in the room was himself and his really pissed off Dad. Not a good combination on the best of days but given his own still quite pained and weakened state this was not going to be pretty.**

" **Seriously Shawn; can you explain to me what you were thinking?" Not pausing to let Shawn even try to respond Henry thundered on "No, you can't can you? Cos you weren't thinking were you? You never do Shawn. Honestly I despair of you."**

" **Dad, come on..." Shawn began to speak; to defend himself with some wise arse comment but then found he could not continue. All he could think of was Sebastian's face when he realised how much his own Mother hated him. The kid had been destroyed; for despite his irritation at her parenting, she was his Mother. And to be written off like that; to know that she had never loved him. To be despised by the woman who gave birth to you was devastating. Shawn stared up at his Dad and really, for the first time in a long time, looked at his face. There it was; behind the anger and the annoyance. Love. And fear, worry and relief. And he knew now was not the time to argue. His fears, pain and regret were all boxed up again and he would not release them; that was not him. But his usual flippant and irritable response to his Father was not the right one now. For either of them. He suddenly realised how much they both actually needed each other.**

" **Dad, I'm sorry."**

 **Henry stopped mid rant, his mouth open as he took in the words his only son had said to him. He looked at Shawn and all at once he could read the real emotions behind his son's eyes.**

" **It's okay Shawn. It's ok." He replied quietly.**

" **Thanks Dad." Shawn smiled. The silent connection between them finally enabling the pain and regret of the last few days to begin to recede.**

 **It was not much but it was enough. Time for normal service to resume**

 **"I guess given the present situation" Shawn said, with a first hint of humour in his voice "you are not that shabby a parent to have."**

 **Henry sighed but only responded with taking hold of Shawn's hand and squeezing it. And Shawn squeezed back. Father and Son, unspoken love and acceptance.**

 **For now it was enough for them both.**

 **The End**

Thank you so much for the kind reception for this story. Posting in a new fandom was nerve wracking but it has proved to be a blast. I am very grateful for all the reads, follows and reviews. Muse willing I hope to return.

Take care, Zendog.


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